Earl and Master
by Shadow Hylian
Summary: Young Master still has thing that he wishes to do. This was the only way I could grant Young Master's wish.


Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji is the property of Yana Toboso. I do not own anything.

Summary: Young Master still has thing that he wishes to do. This was the only way I could grant Young Master's wish.

Shadow Hylian: This is my interpretation as to how the series could continue. Sebastian is characterised a little more harshly than usual in this fic, as I'm trying to give his character greater depth.

Thanks to The Unknown Thing for beta-ing and helping me out with this one.

Warning: Spoilers for episode 24. Don't say I didn't warn you.

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Earl and Master

"Make it as painful as you can. Carve the pain of my life into my soul."

Sebastian was slightly taken-aback by his Young Master's order, but obeyed as always, dropping to his knees in a deep bow and replying "Yes, my Lord." as he accepted the order.

As the demon approached the young earl, his palm caressing Ciel's face, fingers sweeping deftly over the soft contours and removing the black patch covering his Young Master's right eye, he could see the fear reflected in the other's eyes.

It didn't affect him. He'd waited for this moment for so long, masqueraded as this spoilt child's butler with cleverly hidden impatience for longer than he would've liked.

When Sebastian leaned in towards his Young Master, it was fully with the intention of consuming his soul.

But another idea occurred to him; one that would be more beneficial and satisfying to him in the long run. Sebastian let the idea curl on his lips, pointed white teeth visible as he smirked.

His contract seal had been on his left hand; the arm that had been torn off by Ash, meaning that, technically, his contract with Ciel had been terminated at that point. Sebastian's grin widened as he realised this. The contract had been broken, but not finished and the demon intended to rectify this.

It would require a bit of sacrifice on his Young Master's part, though.

Sebastian moved his hand from it's resting place on Ciel's cheek to clamp beneath his Master's jaw, holding him steady as the demon descended upon him, making comforting movements with his thumb over his Young Master's cheek.

"This will hurt, but it won't be your end, Young Master." Sebastian's murmured tone was reassuring, gentle. A perfect irony to the pain he would inflict on the boy, and the demon frowned, deciding on the best method to proceed.

The boy's eye was the problem. For his plan to work, Sebastian needed to get rid of the remaining contract seal - the one branded into Ciel's right eye.

"Then, Young Master..." the demon spoke and Ciel shivered as he felt hot breath over his right eyelid, keeping his eyes shut firmly as fear passed over him. He was scared; a great sense of trepidation as the demon stood before him, his eyes glittering scarlet and a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth as Sebastian lowered his head towards him.

Sebastian had always been a source of comfort to him. Someone whom he could rely on, and would be there to aid him at all times, though Ciel now wondered just how much of this had been of his own vocation, or whether it had merely been a facade. Had his butler been serving him, or obeying the terms of their contract?

Ciel jolted slightly, a gasp escaping his lips as Sebastian's hot tongue ran over the surface of his closed eyelid before biting down relatively gently into the soft flesh.

Terror washed over the earl, his heart beating rapidly as if his body knew that he was near death, flailing wildly within his ribcage. This was how he would die, Ciel realised as he tried not to whimper. He had always known that it would end like this; Sebastian had told him this when the contract was made.

His butler who had cared for him, protected and served him would be the one to kill him. Sebastian was only a temporary guardian; one who served only because of the reward he would receive at the end.

A crunching sound.

A cry of pain.

Blackness.

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"Open your eyes, Young Master." Sebastian's voice ran out, distant, echoed and Ciel did as he was instructed, opening his eyes warily.

He had always suffered partial blindness in his right eye due to the seal mark bring branded into it. Usually he could only see shadows from it, but his vision was clear. It was strange.

Ciel cupped his hand over his good eye in order to verify the difference, finding that he somehow had re-acquired perfect vision in his partially damaged right eye.

"Here." Sebastian stood by his side, handing his Young Master a mirror from the pocket of his suit jacket and Ciel looked at his reflection, seeing his own untainted eyes looking back at him.

He didn't understand. Sebastian had bitten out his eye, so why was he able to see so clearly? No blood was flowing from the wound, nor did the wound itself hurt.

Instinctively, Ciel's gaze turned to Sebastian, who was smirking in his usual manner and it took a few seconds for Ciel to realise what he was seeing.

Sebastian's right eye was emblazoned with the pentagram crest, the symbol of a pact between a demon and a human.

"Look at you hand, Young Master."

And again Ciel obeyed, seeing an identical pentagram seemingly carved into the back of his left hand.

"You lied, Young Master." the demon spoke, and the young earl saw his butler's eyes glow red at the words, "You said that you would live until I counted to ten."

Ciel frowned at the demon's words. Sebastian was being vindictive?

"I don't understand, Sebastian." Ciel tried to keep his voice quiet, lest the demon in front of him lose his patience. It was the expression on his butler's face, those ruby eyes staring unblinkingly back into his own that frightened the young earl. Ciel wasn't sure what to say.

"I have reversed the roles, Young Master."

"...What?" Ciel's voice was louder than he intended, accidentally ringing out loudly into the still air. "Your seal...my eye...how?" the young earl's sentence was detached as he tried to understand what was happening to him.

"You would not have expected your Knight to turn his back on his King would you, Young Master?" Sebastian's voice was silkily smooth, measured and his smirk grew wider, sharpened white teeth made visible by the expression. "The Young Master has things that he still wishes to do." the demon spoke, "This was the only way that I could grant the Young Master's wish."

"...am I dead?" Ciel knew the question was idiotic. When his fingers slipped from the steel rafters and he'd fallen towards the Thames, he had saw his cinematic record begin to play out the scenes of his life as he plummeted towards the river. It wasn't possible that he could have survived the fall.

"No, Young Master is in a near-death state." Sebastian explained, "To aid the Young Master, I consumed the remnants of our contract to allow your soul to be manipulated back into the living world without resurrection."

Ciel looked around properly since the first time he'd opened his eyes. They were no longer in the forest on the small island that they'd sailed to, and Earl Phantomhive recognised their new location.

He was in Purgatory. This was the realm between life and death, the darkened void where he first reached out to the demon standing in front of him.

"Why are you still serving me? The contract has been broken."

"This is a spiritual world, Young Master. I am a spiritual demon." his butler spoke, that same dangerously superior expression glinting in his ruby eyes, "This is a new contract, if you wish to sign it. Your existence can be manipulated back into the living realm. My power would allow you to retain you original appearance, even though it is merely an illusion."

"You can restore me to life?"

"In a way, Young Master, though you would inhabit a spiritual version of your body." his red eyes narrowed as he surveyed the boy carefully, mouth opening slightly in an expression of amused calmness as he watched the Earl make his decision.

"...I accept the new contract." Ciel spoke, raising his head to gaze directly at the demon, his blue eyes flashing defiantly in the darkness. "Return me to life, Sebastian."

"Yes, My Lord."

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Shadow Hylian: Feedback is very much appreciate, so review please.


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